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lONl'MENT TO PULASKI, 



CITY OF SAVAMNAH, 

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J5.V HENRY WILLIAMS, Ks.|. 



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OKKKMOMKS UPON THAT (KHJASION, 

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ril WIIM II IS ADDKll A SIMMAUV OC TllK i;\ ll)KN< K 

Desiguating tlu^ BiH-ial Place of Pnlaski, 

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MONTERY SQUARE, SAVANNAH. GEO: 

JDesigned &, ereeutal ty EE . LaarLitz . KY. 



A]Sr ^DJDIIESB 



iKr.lVKRKD 



ON LAYING TilE CUUNEU STONE 



MONUMENT TO PULASKI, 



CITY OF SAVANNAH 



OCTOBKU 11, 1853. 



By HENRY WILLIAMS, Escj. 

wmi AX ACCOUNT OK TIIK 

CJKREMONIES UPON THAT OCCASION, 

AND AT THK 

C(nii})l('tioii of" llu' Moiiiiiiu'iil. .laiinaiT '^lli. 1855. 

TO WHICH IS ADKKI) A SIMMAKV OK THK KVIJlKNCK 

Designating the Bnrial Place of Pulaski, 



rUKPAKKli !!Y 

Col. WILLI A M I', no WEN. 
riiiilisliril liv ilii' I'liiiiiiiissioiirrs of llir Moiiiaiiriil I iiiiil, 



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W. T II i; N K \\ I L L I A M 

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PREFACE 



It was tlie intention of the Commissioners to have pnblish- 
ed .at an earlier period, an acconnt of tlie ceremonies npon 
laying the Corner Stone of the Pulaski Monument, together 
witli the Address of Mr. Williams, upon the occasion. The 
accidental destruction, by fire, of a large portion of the printed 
sheets of the pamphlet while in the hands of the hinder, 
frustrated their design. Believing, however, that the general 
desire exists among our citizens that these interesting memo- 
rials should be preserved, the Commissioners determined to 
re-publish them. They have also added, a recital of the cere- 
monies upon the completion of the Monument and its for- 
mal surrender to the guardianship of the Civil Authorities of 
Savannah, and a summary of the evidence designating the 
burial-place of Pulaski, prepared by one of their number; 
which throws much light upon that interesting historic 
question. 



ADDRESS. 



Fellow-Citizens of Savannah : — 

We have assembled tliis day, to allinn the judgment pro- 
nounced by a former generation upon the character of a Hero 
of the Past, We are here to render an appropriate tribute 
of grateful reverence to the memory of one, who, more than 
half a century ago, shed his life-blood upon our soil in de- 
fence of the liberties of our country; and to vindicate the 
Republic from the charge of ingratitude, by establishing for 
posterity, upon the scene of his patriotic self-sacrifice, an 
enduring memorial of his services and his fame. The 
solemn ceremonies which are about to be performed in our 
presence, will indicate to us, that upon this massive founda- 
tion at our feet, is destined to rise in marble beauty a lofty 
column, which shall fitly commemorate the gallant achieve- 
ments and melancholy fate of that heroic son of Poland, 
that worshipper of Liberty and martyr in her caus(>, the 
friend and fellow-soldier of Washington, the noble and 
chivalrous Pulaski. 

To rescue from oblivion and perpetuate in some enduring 
form the memory of illustrious actions, has in all ages been 
recognised as a solemn duty, and been a prominent object 
of solicitude among men. Impelled by a natural desire to 
transmit to the future the bright example^ of the present, 
shrinking with instinctive horror from the contemplation of 
utter annihilation, :uid yet conscious of the frailness of all 
human tradition and human record, men have sought to iden- 
tify with the substantial things of Nature, the perishable evi- 
dence of memorable deeds. And thus pyramids and temples, 
arches and columns, and even rude mounds of earth, have 
arisen throughout the world, to testify to the living the 
achievements of departed generations. Yet how many of 
these memoiials owr tlicir existence to l)nser motives. How 



many record only evidences of servile adulation, or commem- 
orate events of barbarous tyranny and scenes of wanton 
massacre ; while others, by their stupendous magnitude, only 
demonstrate how terrible must have been the despotism 
which could have compelled a nation to the performance of 
such super-human labor. 

But, of all the monuments which art has erected to com- 
memorate human achievements, none are nobler in their 
origin, or in the associations which surround them, than those 
which the voluntary gratitude of a free People dedicates to 
the memory of an illustrious patriot and benefactor. ./ While 
they denote a just and grateful appreciation of the virtues and 
services they are designed to commemorate, they stand silent 
yet expressive teachers of the noblest lessons. They recall 
the memory of the illustrious dead, and inspire emulation of 
their deeds. Amid the tumult and cares of life's daily strug- 
gle, their calm and majestic presence directs our thoughts 
away from sordid things, to the contemplation of noble acts 
and lofty sentiments, and, pointing heavenward, they assure 
us that there h 

" some biiglit reversion in the Kk.\', 



For those who greatly think and bravely die." 

Most fitting is it that the sculptor's genius, in its highest 
excellence, should be invoked to adorn these marble memo- 
rials of patriotic virtue, and that the purifying sense of the 
Beautiful should be made to mingle in the heart of the be- 
holder with the exalted sentiments they inspire. 

No people are under greater obligations to perpetuate the 
memory of the authors of their national existence than our- 
selves. All that we have, and all that we are — our pros- 
perity, our glory, our liberty — we owe, under Providence, to 
the valor and the patriotism of the Heroes of the Revolution. 
Yet, although the great American heart beats true to their 
virtues and their fame, it cannot be disguised that there is 
abroad among us an impatient spirit of haughty self-reliance, 
which, in the exultation of present prosperity affects to dis- 
dain the cautious wisdom of our forefathers as too '■^ anti- 



qiialed'^ lor this progressive ;igc, and whose tendency is to 
slight, if not depreciate, the inestimable value of their patri- 
otic services. Let this spirit be checked before it shall have 
become a sentiment of the American people — let their glory 
be cherished as a part of onr own honor and an article of our 
household faith — let the records of their virtues and the me- 
morials of their fame be multiplied in the land ; and let mon- 
uments, rich in all the elaboration of art, ascend to their 
memory upon every spot which may have been the scene of 
their labors. 

Let us turn our thoughts from the present to the past. 
Seventy-four years ago how different was the spectacle from 
that which now presents itself to our eyes. Then, as now, 
upon this very spot, the sound of martial music and the 
tramp of armed men were heard; banners floated in the 
breeze, and sabres and bayonets glittered in tlie sunbeams. 
Then, as now, human habitations clustered upon this sandy^ 
plain, and here men had reared their family altars. Now, 
these martial sounds speak to us only of peace and peaceful 
ceremonies. In this military array we see only a band of 
friends and brothers, prepared to guard the liberty and secu- 
rity we enjoy. Then, the roar of battle and the shouts of 
contending armies echoed to the sky. The wives and moth- 
ers, the daughters and helpless children of that time, whose 
representatives are gathered here this day smiling in happy 
security, were then trembling fugitives from their homes and 
firesides, or despairing prisoners within the limits of a be- 
sieged camp. How changed the scene ! The beleagured 
town has now become a great commercial city, attracting to 
her harbor the products of every clime, while her inhabitants 
repose in peace and safety, protected by the laws and insti- 
tutions of a free Government and snrrounded by all the ap- 
pliances of luxurious civilization. How changed the scene ! 
The whole plain which then intervened between the opposing 
armies — a desert waste — is now covered with the substantial 
evidences of industry and wealth. Along the very line of 
the British works have arisen stately dwellings where men 



gather around safe and happy firesides. The ground where 
stood the tent of the British Commander is now encircled by 
temples of Rehgion, in which men of every faith worship the 
Almighty in peace and freedom of conscience. Almost npou 
the very spot where the batteries of the French army sent 
forth their terrible messengers of death and torture, Philan- 
thropy has reared an edifice where Science and Skill shall 
devote themselves to the alleviation ol human suffering ; the 
place where the battle raged fiercest and bloodiest, where 
Jasper died, and near which Pulaski fell, is now the busy, 
yet peaceful scene, where the accumulated wealth of great 
and prosperous States (then the forest hunting grounds of 
the Savage,) is poured through iron channels in daily tribute 
at our feet. The sound of the trumpet calling to arms, which 
echoed there, has given place to the shrill voice of the mighty 
Creature of modern genius, the great agent of Civilization 
and Peace. How changed the scene ! Then, all was blood- 
shed, tumuh, and alarm. Now, all prosperity, security, and 
peace. How profound should be our gratitude to those 
whose fortitude and patriotism have been the means of en- 
suring to us the enjoyment of such blessings, by redeeming 
our country from the miseries of war and colonial servitude 
and estabhshing for her a National Independence ! 

But let us ever be mindful that our gratitude is due to all 
the champions of American Freedom alike. No true Ameri- 
can heart would seek to detract from the fame of any one of 
those illustrious patriots in order to e:falt that of another, or 
to calculate with invidious distinction the exact meed of glory 
due to each. Their apotheosis ha-«C^elevated them above- the 
^spherc of cavilling criticism, and the incense of our grateful 
oblations ascends in honor of all. Yet, upon an occasion like 
this it is not inappropriate or unseemly, to •' select from that 
proud throng" some names for especial commemoration. 
Justice to human motives must compel us to acknowledge 
that there was something peculiar in the impulses which 
brought to the aid of our people during the Revolutionary 
struggle, the citizens of foreign lands, unallied to them by 



9 

the tics of nativity or lilood. They came not hero to secure 
the hberties or redress the wrongs of their own countries, to 
fight for the preservation of their individual rights, for the 
altars of their faith, or the protection of their firesides — 

"Tliey wlioiii their trust should grortf to, were not liurc, 
I'hey were, as all their other comforts, (ar iiencc 
In their own country." 

The abstract love of Liberty, hatred of oppression and sym- 
pathy with all votaries of Freedom, impelled them to our 
shores. They partook of all the dangers and sufterings 
which our forefathers endured, they shed their blood in the 
achievement of our Country's independence, and they are 
entitled to share our gratitude. So long as tradition, or 
record, or marble trophy, shall preserve the memory of the 
heroic acts of the Revolution, so long shall the names of De ^ 
Kalb, Steuben, Lafayette, Kosciusko and Pulaski be 
cherished with those of Washington and Greene, 

Few names have descended to us surrounded by more 
attractions than that of Kasimik Pulaski. His patriotic 
career in his own country, his eminent services in ours, his 
enthusiasm in the cause of I^iberty, his chivalrous character, 
his impetuous courage, and his glorious but untimely fate, 
have so illumined his name, that it lends alike a lustre to 
romance and a dignity to history. Born a nobleman of rank, 
in Mazovia, in Poland, in 1748, the earliest years of his man- 
hood were employed in the attempt to redeem his unhappy 
country from the servitude into which she had been sunk by 
the imbecility of her unworthy monarch, Stanilaus AugustiW, 
and the oppression of Russian despotism. Military chief of 
the Confederation of Bar, a leading member of other patriotie 
confederacies in Poland, and a General of the })atriot army 
during many years of anarchy, turbulence and bloodshed, 
Pulaski, by his great military genius, his devoted patriotism, 
and his daundess intrepidity, became the terror of his coun- 
try's foes, and won the admiration of all Europe. When, in 
1772, that atrocious crime against international law and hu- 
man rights was perpetrated — the dismemberment of Poland 

2 



10 

by Russia, Austria, and Prussia — Pulaski rallied his little 
band of patriots for one last struggle for freedom. Defeated 
by overwhelming numbers, his army annihilated, he wandered 
to Constantinople and thence to France, an exile, degraded 
from his rank, deprived of his estates, and with a price set 
upon his head. Across the Atlantic came to him the tidings 
that the people of another hemisphere had bid defiance to 
oppression, and were arming for the struggle. The sound' 
stirred the heart of Pulaski like the voice of a battle-trumpet. 
It was a struggle for Liberty ! It was his cause, whoever 
the people and wherever the scene of conflict. Fate forbade 
him to achieve the independence of his own country, and 
true to the noble impulses of his soul, he came to aid in es- 
tablishing that of America. Commended to General Wash- 
ington, by Franklin, in terms of the warmest praise, he 
was, on the 15th day of September, 1777, created Brigadier 
General of Cavalry, in the American service. Some six 
months later he was authorized, at his own request, to raise 
anindependen tcorps. At Brandy wine, Germantown,Chai;les- 
ton. Savannah and elsewhere, throughout his whole term of 
service, Pulaski gave noble proofs of his courage and military 
genius, as well as of liis sincere devotion to the American 
cause. The unqualified encomiums upon him which are 
multiplied in the letters of Washington, who never rashly 
bestowed praise, sufficiently attest his meritorious services. 

It was destined that his brilliant career should terminate at 
Savannah. On the morning of the 9th day of October, 1779, 
the combined French and American armies, impatient of a 
protracted siege, advanced to storm the town. While gallantly 
charging, banner in hand, at the head of his troop, to aid the 
struggling columns of Lincoln and D'Estaing overpowered 
by Maitland's forces, the fatal shot was sped, and Pulaski 
fell.- Borne mortally wounded from the field, he lingered 
for two days, and then expired. It is related that Stanis- 
laus of Poland, upon liearing of his death, exclaimed: — 
" Pulaski has died as he lived, a Hero, but an enemy of 
Kings!" thus, in the language of intended censure, pronounc- 



11 

ing a fitting epitaph for a martyr in the cause of Repulilioan 
Liberty. 

The banner which I'iji-aski l)ore in his last charge, and \ 
which for the first time trailed in tlie dust, still exists. It 
had been presented to him by the "• Moravian Nuns of Beth- ^ 
LEHEM," and after his death was deposited in the City ot 
Baltimore. Should not that glorious tro{)hy be placed in the 
keeping of the people of Savannah ? Cannot an appeal be 
made to those who now guard it, to surrender to our trust 
the banner of the Hero who shed his life-blood upon our 
soil ! 

On this day seventy-four years ago, Pulaski died; yet re- 
markable to relate, surrounded as he was by friends and 
companions in arms, prominent as was his station, and gal- 
lant as were his deeds, no evidence exists which designates 
with certainty the place wliere his remains were deposited. ' 
Whether the Sea received him, or whether he lies under some 
spreading oak upon St. Helena's Island in our sister State, ^ ■ 
or sleeps beneath the sod of Greenwich by the banks of one i / 
of our own beautiful streams, an hour's pilgrimage from the 
spot where he fell, remains to this day a mysteiy. But 
wheresoever his ashes may repose, we know that the noble 
spirit which constituted his true identity, is immortal and , 
defies decav. We conuuif his fame to the keeping of jios-- 
terity ; ' , 

" We lell lii> doom without a sigh, 
for he is Froedoin's now, and Fame's, 
One of the few, the iintiiortal nnmos. 
That were not horn to die." 

Seventy-four years have passed away, and the teeble eol- 
onies, in defence of whose rights Pttlaski shed his blood, 
have grown to be ;i great and glorious Republic, whos(* 
power triumphantly defies one of the very three nations 
which nearly a century ago robbed Po/anrf of her Liberty 
and her National existence, and whose flag is at this moment 
waving its protecting folds, in foreign seas, over n victim of 
Austrian injustice and oppression. 



12 

The events of time, have inseparably connected in onr 
memories with the name of Pulaski, that of another soldier 
of Freedom — the name of Lafayette. After the lapse of 
nearly half a century he revisited, a nation's honored guest, 
> the land for whose early liberties he had fought, and with his 
own hands laid that corner-stone, which will form a part oj" 
the foundation of the monument we are this day dedicating 
to the memory of his friend and fellow-soldier Pulaski, He 
had seen his own fair land desolated by the bloodiest and 
most sacrilegious revolution the world has ever witnessed, — 

" When the last hope of trampled France had failed, 
Like a hrief dream of iinremaining glory.'' 

He returned here to find a prosperous and united people^ 
rich in the enjoyment of all the blessings of freedom and 
peace. He had seen the temples of Religion desecrated in 
the name of Liberty, and the Bible trampled under foot in 
the horrible orgies with which the " Goddess of Reason" was 
worshipped. Here, during the solemn ceremonies in which 
he bore a part, he beheld, an object of reverential care, that 
Sacred Volume, the gift of Oglethorpe to his Masonic Breth- 
len in 1733, which for nearly a century had been preserved 
with pious zeal through all the tumults and vicissitudes of 
war, and which still remains, and is before us this day, an 
emblem of the protection which Religion receives under a 
truly free Government. Twenty-eight years have passed 
away since he again left these shores, and in that brief space 
of time, while we have been borne steadily along upon the 
peaceful stream of increasing prosperity, two more Revolu- 
tions have rolled their bloody tides over unhappy France, 
sweeping remorselessly away all the land-marks of her hope. 
And now that great and glorious nation tamely submits to 
the usurpation of a self-constituted ruler, to the sway of a 
contemptible despot. Oh! Fellow-citizens, at the base of 
this monument designed to commemorate hatred of oppres- 
sion and love of Liberty, hallowed by the names of Pulaski 
and Lafayette, let us invoke the blessings of peace and 
republican freedom upon our beloved friend and ally, glo- 



13 

rious, unhappy France ! And here let ns lay to heart the 
solemn truth which these events have traced for our instruc- 
tion in characters of hlood, that internal dissension is the 
curse of all nations, and the destroyer of all free government, 
and that perfect union among a People is the only sure source 
of national prosperity and happiness. 

A duty remains which, if neglected, would leave my task 
hut ill ])erformed. It is to convey to those Gentlemen to 
whom has heen confided the trust of superintending the erec- 
tion of this structure, the tribute of our grateful acknowledg- 
ments. Their unwearied zeal and the exercise of their re- 
fined and discriminating taste, will prove at once the means 
of expressing in appropriate form our appreciation of the 
services of an illustrious patriot, and of decorating our city 
with a work of chaste and elaborate art. 

Nor should allusion be omitted to the Artist, whose grate- 
ful task it will be to mould into shape this memorial of a 
People's gratitude. Peculiarly appropriate is it that the 
Genius of Polish art should be invoked to illustrate the virtues ^y^ 
of a Polish patriot, and that the execution of a monument to 
be raised upon American soil to the memory of a chivalrous 
son of Poland, should be entrusted to one who breathed his 
native air in Poland, and drew his inspiration beneath her 
skies — to one who, in this his adopted country, has already 
made the marble breathe in so many forms of varied beauty 
— to the compatriot of Kosciusko and Pulaski, the gifted 
and accomplished Launitz. 

Fellow-Citizens : Soon, under the creating hand of Art, 
this marble column shall arise in our midst in all its symme- 
try of sculptured beauty. Soon shall it take its place among 
the familiar objects of our daily notice, and by the influence 
of that mysterious sympathy which connects the emotions of 
the heart with the material forms that surround us, become 
gradually and silently identified with all the cherished asso- 
ciations of our homes. While its fair proportions, reflecting 
the sun-light, or glittering in the moon-beams, shall multi- 
ply to the fancy images of daily beauty, let the eloquent 



14 

truths which shall breathe from its polisiied form sink deep 
into our hearts. When we contemplate the figure of the 
dying patriot, carved upon its base, and turn our eyes up- 
ward to gaze upon the stately image of Liberty, crowning its 
summit, let it recall the memory of the illustrious deeds of 
our forefathers, and of the sacred cause for which they bled, 
and teach us to estimate properly the blessings of that Free- 
dom, which was won for us by so many noble sacrifices. 
Most Worshipful Grand Master : 

In behalf of the Citizens of Savannah, I request you to 
officiate with the solemn ceremonies of your ancient Frater- 
nity upon this occasion of laying the corner-stone of a Monu- 
ment to the memory of Brigadier General KASIMIR PU- 
LASKI. I beseech you, let it be " well tried, true and 
trusty^'' as was the faith of him whose glory it is designed to 
commemorate. 



To Dr. Richard D. Arnold and 
Col. Wm. p. Bowen, 

Commissioners of the 

Greene & Pulaski Monument Fund. 
Gentlemen : 

In compliance with your request, I take pleasure in com- 
municating the following report of the Ceremonies upon tlie 
interesting occasion of laying the Corner-Stone of a Monu- 
ment to Pulaski, on the 11th instant, together with a copy 
of the Address pronounced by the Orator of the day, Henry 
Williams, Esq. 

Respectfully, 

Your ob't serv't, 

GEO. ROliERTSON, Jr., 
Superintendent of Arrangements. 
Savannah, I8th October, 1853. 



REPORT. 



y On the 21st of March, 1825, General Lafayette, while 
on his visit to Savannah, performed at the request of our 
citizens, the ceremony of laying the corner stones of two 
nfbnuments, to be erected to the memory of Major General 
Greene and Brigadier General Count Pulaski. One was 
laid in Johnson Square, and the other in Chippeway Square. 
In the course often or twelve years a sufficient fund had 
been collected to erect the monument now standing in John- 
son Square, and as it was believed that the efforts to raise the 
necessary means to erect another would be fruitless, the one 
which had been built was called the Greene and Pulaski 
Monument, and the corner-stone which had been laid in 
Chippeway Square was removed to Johnson Square, and 
placed by the side of that dedicated to General Greene. 
The commissioners, however, to whom the Legislature of 

. Georgia had entiusted the duty of raising the necessary 

- means, determined to renew their efforts ; and having, at the 
' session of the Legislature in 1837, procured a renewal of 
their grant, with some additional powers, proceeded ener- 
getically in their worli;, and for fifteen years pursued with 
nntiring devotion their disinterested task, until a fnnd of 
|20,000 had been accumulated. Up to that time their num- 
bers had been reduced by death, resignation, and removal 
from the city, to two — Wm. Robertson and Wm. P. Bowen, 
Esquires. At the request of these gentlemen, the Legislature 
in 1852, appointed Dr. Richard D. Arnold as their associate. 

.' In the month of May of the same year, the commissioners 
selected a plan, submitted by that eminent artist Robert E. 
Launitz, of New York, and entered into a contract with him 
lor building a monument to Pulaski, a representation of 
which accompanies this report. The height of the structure 
will be fifty-five feet; the cost seventeen thousand dollars ; 



17 

the work to be executed of Italian marble, in the highest 
style of art, and to be completed by the 1st day of July, 1854. 

The following is a description of the design, in the appro- 
priate language of the artist : 

" In designing this monument 1 have had particnlar regard 
to purity of style, richness of etfoct, and strength and dura- 
bility in material and execution, while I have not lost sight 
of the main object, wliieb is to design a Monnmenl for 
Pulaski. 

" It is perceived, at the first glance, that the monument is 
intended for a soldier who is losing his life, fighting. Wound- 
ed, he falls from his horse while still grasping his sword. 
The date of the event is recorded above the subject. The 
Arms of Poland and Georgia, surronnded by branches of 
laurel, ornament the cornice on two sides, or fronts. They 
stand united together, while the Eagle, emblem of Liberty, 
Independence and Cnnrage, rests on both, bidding proud de- 
fiance. The Eagle being the symbolic bird both of Poland 
and America, the allegory needs no fnrther exi)lanation. 
The inverted cannons on the corners of the di(% are emiilcv 
matic of military loss and monriiiiiir, while ihev give to the 
monument a strong military character. 

"To facilitate the execntion of the shaft, whirh it would 
be impossible to execute in one piece, I have divided the 
same into several parts, s(>parated by bands, so as to remove 
the unsightliness of the horizontal joints on a |)lain surface. 
The bands are alternat(^l\' ornamc^nted with stars, emhiems 
of the States and Territories wow and in (nnbryo, who enjoy, 
and will enjoy, the iVnits of the valor and patriotism ot' tln^ 
Heroes of the R(^volntion. The garlands (.n the allmiate 
bands above the stars, denote that they (the States) are green 
and flourishing. The shaft is snrmounted l)y a highly elab- 
orate corinthian ca]i, which adds richness, loftiness, and gran- 
deur to the structnre. The monnment is surmonnted l)y a 
statue of Liberty, embracing with her left arm the banner 
of the Stars and Stripes, while in her right hand is extended 
the Laurel Wreath. The love of liberty brought Pulaski 
3 



to America ; for love of liberty he fought, and for Uberty he 
lost his life. Thus, I thought that Liberty should crown his 
monument, and share with him the homage of the free." 

The seventy-fourth anniversary of the death of Pulaski, 
who was wounded at the siege of Savannah on the 9th, and 
died on the 11th October, 1779, was selected by the com- 
missioners as the most appropriate day for laying the corner 
stone of a monument to his memory. Accordingly, upon 
that day, the corner-stone originally laid by Lafayette, and 
Avhich liad been again removed from its place in Johnson 
Square, together with another of equal size united to it by 
copper bands, and containing the records of the present day, 
which the commissioners desired to deposite beneath the 
monument, was laid in its iinal resting place. 

The ceremonies upon the occasion, of which the following 
is a brief recital, were imposing and appropriate. 

At three o'clock, P. M., upon the appointed day, the 
Independent Volunteer Battalion of Savannah, — consisting of 
the Chatham Artillery, with a battery of six guns, under 
Capt. Gallic ; the Phoenix Riflemen, nnder Capt. Mills ; the 
Republican Blues, under Lieut. Davis, commanding ; the 
Savannah Volunteer Guards, under Capt. Screven ; the 
German Volunteers, under Capt. Steigen ; the Irish Jasper 
Greens, under Capt. Devanny ; and the DeKalb Riflemen, 
under Capt. Ganahl; together with the Georgia Hussars, 
on the right, under Capt. Lamar, the whole under the com- 
mand of Lieut. Col. Alexander R. Lawton, formed in 
Liberty-street, and marched to the ground, taking position 
in Bull-street, with the right resting on Madison Square, and 
their left extending to Monterey Square. In this position, 
they received, with the customary military salute, the civic 
procession, marshaled by Commissioner Wm. P. Bowen — 
composed of the Chaplain and Orator of the day, escorted 
by Commissioner Richarb D. Arnold, the Mayor and Al- 
dermen of Savannah, the Masonic Lodges and the othcers 
of the First Brigade and First Squadron of Cavalry, with their 
Staffs. The procession having passed into the Square, occu- 



19 

piedtlie scats which liad hecii provided on ;i j)lattonii erected 
above the I'oiuidHliou ot'the momiiiieiil. 'J'hc immense con- 
course of spectators, of whom a large niun her were Ladies, 
filled the entire Square and open space in the vicinity, as 
well as the windows and piazzas of tiie surrounding dwellings. 
The military, after the entrance of the procession, took a new 
l^osition, forming on three sides of the Square, where they 
remained (lurinir the pertbrmaiire of the (-('remonies. 

These arrangements having been completed, the assem- 
blage was called to order by Commissioner Wm. P. Bowen, 
after which the Reverend Aahox J. Karn, Chaplain of the 
day, addressed the Throne of Grace in an impressive and 
appropriate |naycr. 

Hknky Willia.ms, Esq., who had been invited by tlie 
Commissioners to deliver an Address on the occasion, then 
arose, and enchained the attention of the entire assemblage, 
])erhaps the largest ever congregated in Savannah, in the 
accompanying graphic and eloquent tribute to the memory 
of Pulaski. 

Upon the conclusion of the address, ('ommissioner W'.ai. 
P. Bowen exhibited a list of the following articles which 
had been placed within the corner-stone : — 

Roll ol the OlHcers of the Independent Volunteer Battalion 
of Savainiali, together with rolls of the several Volunteer 
Corps composing said Battalion. 

Statement of the JNJarine and Fire Insurance Bank ; last 
report and list oT Stockholders, together with notes of tlie 
denominations ot' one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty, and oiic- 
lumdred dollars. 

Statement of the \ku\k of the Stale ot' Georgia, with noles 
of five and ten dollars. 

Bills of the Planters' Bank, of the denominations of fi\-' 
and ten dollars. 

Bills of the Central Railroad and Banking Company. '•>•' 
the denominations of one, two, five, and ten dollars. 



20 

Statement of the Bank of Savannah, with notes of the de- 
nominations of five, ten, twenty, fifty, and one lunidred 
dollars. 

Names of the Otticers of the Government of tlie United 
States and of the State of Georgia. 

Engraved hkenesses of General George Washington, Ben- 
jamin Lincohi, and of Robert Morris, Esq., presented by I. 
K. Tetft. 

Medal representing a view of the city of Bremen, with a 
statue of Rolandi, dated 1540 ; also, Medallions of Benjamin 
Franklin and Hemy Clay, presented by Armenius Oemler. 

Medallion representing the Crystal Palace of New York, 
presented by H. A. Richmond. 

Hungarian Bond, presented by llinko Naklen Kazei. 

A piece of the Oak Tree, from Sunbury, Liberty County, 
Georgia, under which Gen, James Ogletborpe opened the 
first Lodge of Free Masons in Georgia ; also, under which, 
in 1779, the Charter of the Union Society was preserved, and 
Mordecai Sheftall, Sen., then a prisoner of war, elected 
President. Presented by Mrs. Perla Sheftall Solomons. 

Copies of the Savannah Republican, of Oct. 1, 1853, giving 
an account of the exhumation of the corner-stone laid by 
Gen. Lafayette in 1825; also, of tlie 11th of Oct., 1853. 

Copies of the Savannah Daily Morning News, of the 4tli 
6th, and llthof Oct., 1853, containing notices of the Pulaski 
Monument, and the correspondence between Chevalier Hulse- 
mann and Secretary Marcy, relative to the seizure of Martin 
Koszta. 

Copies of the Savannah Daily and Weekly Courier, of Oct., 
11th, 1853, containing an account of the laying of the cor- 
ner-stones of the Greene and Pulaski Monuments in 1825, by 
Gen. Lafayette. 

Copy of the Savannah Georgian, established A. D. 1817,' 
Philip J. Punch and Robt. B. Hilton, Editors and Proprietors, 
Oct. 11, 1853. 

Past Master's Masonic Jewel, dated 1710; presented by 
S. P. Bell. 



21 

A silver dollar, found among the bones of the soldiers who 
fell at the siege of Savannah, dated 1778; presented by 
Bernard Constantine, Es(|. 

A badge, medals and copper coin, presented by Mrs, David 
Thompson. 

Two Roman coins of the days of Constantine, Emperor of 
Rome, presented by Benjamin Arnold. 

Gold, silver and copper coins, presented. by A. Oender, N. 
Wolfe, J. M. Pretitiss, C. F. Preston, P. G. Thomas, R. W. 
Pooler, T, Holcombe, a:id F. J. Rosenberg, 

Three German coins, dated l(j23, 1G2-1, and 16;32, presented 
by Paul Haller. 

French Masonic Lodge jewel, presented by Wm, Hone, 

A silver dollar, dated 1727, presented by A. Bonaud. 

One cent dated 1793, presented by J. H, Demund. 

Two silver medals, pn^sented by John J. W. Buntz and 
George J. J. Buntz. 

Continental Notes, presented hy Mrs. Uavid Thompson, 
and rare coins, by R. R. Scott. 

Directory and Censns of the City of Savannali tor the year 
1853, presented by David II. Galloway. 

List of Otiicers and Assistants of the Savannah Post OlHce, 

List of Ollicers of the Savannah Custom House. 

Constimtion, By-Laws, List of Otiicers ;uid Members of 
Zen;babcl Lodge, No, 15. 

r.ecords of the Georgia Chapter, No. 3. 

Record of Clinton Lodge, No, 54. List ot Ollicers and 
Members, and a Silver Compass, 

Records of Solomon's Lods-e for the year 1853, with By- 
Laws, &c. 

He then read the tbllowing Record, on parchment, of the 
object of the monument, which, after being enclosed in a 
copper tube, was also deposited in the corner-stone, 

PULASKI MONUMENr. 

Savannah, Georgia, Chatham County. 

United States of America. 

nth October, 1853. 



^ 22 

This parclinieut is to record ihe laying of the corner-stone 
of a Monument in the centre of Monterey Square, at the 
junction of Bull and IVayne-fitretts, City of Savannah, to 
the memory of Brigadier General KASIMIR PULASKI,\vho 
fell mortally wounded by a swivel shot, while on a charge 
at die head of a body of Cavalry, before the British lines, at 
the Siege of Savannah^ on the ninth day of October, seven- 
teen hundred and seventy-nine. 

KASIMIR PULASKI, a Polish nobleman, was born in 
Mazovia, in Poland, in the year Seventeen Hundred and 
Forty -eight — arrived in the United States in the year Sev- 
enteen Hundred and Seventy-seven, (1777,) and volunteered 
his services lo the American Government, in the great and 
glorious cause of Liberty and resistance to British Ty- 
ranny — received a commission from the Government as 
Brigadier General of Cavalry, on the 15th day of Septem- 
ber, 1777, and fought gallandy in the battles of this country, 
at Brandy wine, Germantown, Charleston and Savannah. , 
Aged thirty-one years. ^ 

Robert E. Launitz, of New-York, Designer, Sculptor and 
Builder. 

M. Lutfburrow and E. .lones. Builders of the Foundaiiou. 

Robert D. Walker, Sculptor of the Corner-Stone. 
(Signed.) Richard D. Arnold, 

Chairman of Connnissioners. 
Wm, Robertson, 
(by Geo. Robertson, Jr..) Treasurer. 
Wm. p. Bo wen, 
Secretary aid Comniissionei'. 

The members of the Masonic Fraternity then rising from 
their seats, assembled around the base of the monument, 
when, conducted by Acting Grand Master Richard R. 
CuvLER, the solemn forms of their ceremonial were observed, 
and the Corner-Stone duly deposited by their hands in the 
place prepared for its reception. A benediction v/as then 
pronounced by Rev. T. L. Hutchings. 



23 

The Chatham Artillery, who had previously taken an in- 
dependent position, then fired a National Salute, which con- 
cluded the most brilliant and imposing civic and military 
pageant ever witnessed in Savannah. 

In the evening of the same day the Commissioners enter- 
tained, at the Exchange, a number of invited guests, consist- 
ing of the Commissioned Officers of the Military, and others 
who had taken pnrt in tbo ceremonies of the occasion. 



COMPLETION OF THE MONUMENT 



CEREMONIES ATTENDANT THEREON. 



In the early part of November, 1854, Mr. Launitz and his 
workmen arrived in this city, and at once commenced work 
on the foundation, which required some aheration. This 
caused a change of position of tlie Corner Stone from where 
it was placed on the Uth October, 1853, to where it now 
rests, viz : 07i the foundation, in the north-east corner, en- 
closed by the plinth, at that corner. Soon after this arrange- 
ment, the remains of Pulaski, which had been kept in the 
Medical College since their exhumation, were brought to the 
base of the Monument by Doctor Skinner, and, in presence 
of several gentlemen, Mr.LAUNiTz, his foreman and assistants, 
were carefully deposited in a metalHc case. In addition to 
the remains, the following articles were also placed in the 
case, viz: the metallic substances found with the remains, sup- 
posed to be a cross or dagger hilt, the newspapers of the 
day, and those containing accounts of the epidemic of 1854; 
the Annual Report of the Mayor of the City for 1854, em- 
bracing a list of the deaths during die prevalence of the 
yellow fever ; a lithographic representation of the monument, 
with the names of the architect and those of his foreman and 
assistants; together Avith a roll of parchment on which was 
inscribed the following notice of the remains. 

The case was then hermetically sealed and ])laced within 
the plinth alongside the corner-stone. 



26 

REMAINS OF PULASKI. 

" This case contains what are supposed to be the remams 
of Brigadier General KASIMIR PULASKI, a gallant and 
distinguished Pole, who fell, mortally wounded, at tin; siegtj 
of Savannah, on the 9th October, 1779,while charging at the 
head of a body of cavalry against the British lines. 

" These remains were exhumed on the — of December, 
1853, at Greenwich, on Augustine Creek, distant from the 
city of Savannah ftve miles — being the place where the 
French troops, under command of the Count D'Estaing, 
landed and were encamped previous to the siege, and where 
they embarked, after the battle of the 9th of October, for the 
fleet, at anchor in Cockspur Roads. Tradition has for many 
years pointed to the spot where these remains were exhumed, 
as the burial place of Pulaski, and their conformity, from 
anatomical examination, by medical gentlemenof this city, to 
the remains of such a man as Pulaski has been described, and 
other concurrent circumstances connected with the recovery 
go far to corroborate the belief. The Commissioners of the 
Monument have therefore deemed it proper to place the 
remains within the structure which is now in progress to 
completion." 

The Monument, together with the railing by which it is 
enclosed, was completed by the 22d of December, 1854, when 
the following correspondence took place. 



SAVANNAH, Dec. 23d, 1854. 
To the Commissioners of the. Pulaski Monument : 

Gentlemen: Having completed the erection of the Pulaski 
Monument, in Monterey Square, I now respectfully tender 
the same for your inspection and acceptance, with the hope 
that the work may meet your approbation, and that you may 
come to the conclusion that no pains nor sacrifices on my 
part have been spared in its entire execution ; and that I 
have fully met the terms of my contract, notwithstanding un- 
forseen circumstances have not allowed nie to comjVlete the 
4 



26 

work at the date agreed upon. Accept, Gentlemen, my ac- 
knuwledgment for your indulgence in this respect, and believe 
me Very Respectfully, 

Your Ob't Servant, 

ROB'T. E. LAUNITZ. 



SAVANNAH, 2 6th December, 1854. 
To Rob't. E. Latjnitz, Esq., 

Savannah : 
Dear Sir: Your letter of the 23d instant, informing us of 
the completion of the Pulaski Monument, in Monterey Square, 
and tendering the same to us for inspection and acceptance, 
lias been received. 

It affords us much pleasure to say, that we have inspected 
the entire structure, together with the very handsome and 
appropriate railing by which it is enclosed. 

We, therefore, accept it, and while congratulating y6u upon 
its completion in accordance with your design and contract, 
we most heartily tender to you our very sincere thanks for 
this specimen of monumental architecture, alike creditable to 
yourself and ornamental to our city. 
Very Respectfully, 

Your Ob't Servants, 

RICHARD D. ARNOLD, 
WM. P. BOWEN, 

Commissioners. 



The Commissioners, a few days after, issued the following 
card of invitation to the Mayor & Aldermen: 
To the Mayor 4* Aldermen of the City of Sava7inah : 

Gentlemen : The Commissioners of the Greene and Pulaski 
Monuments, beg leave to announce to you the completion of 
the Monument to that distinguished Chieftain, General 
Kasimir Pulaski, in Monterey Square. They now desire 
a tender of that structure to the Municipal authorities as part 
and parcel of the public property of the City, and invite 



27 

your attendance iji Monterey Square, on Monday, the Stli 
January, at 12 o'clock, M., for its reception. 
Very Respectfully, 

RICHARD I). ARNOLD, 
WM. P. IJOWEN, 

Commissioners. 
•January 5, 1855. 

And one to the Teachers and Pupils of each school in the 
City : 

To . 

The Commissioners of the Greene and Pulaski Monuments 
respectfully invite you and the male department of your 
school, to meet us in Monterey Square, on Monday, the 8th 
January next, at 4 o'clock, P. M., to participate in the cere- 
monies in honor of the Pulaski Monument. 
Very Respectfully, 

RICHARD D. ARNOLD, 

WM. P. bowp:n, 

Commissioners. 
January 5, 1855, 



The following notice of the Ceremonies which took place 
on the 8th January, is taken from the Morning News, of the 
9th January, 1855: 

•'THE PULASKI MONUMENT. 

" The final act of the Commissioners of the Pulaski Mon- 
ument was consummated yesterday, in the delivery of that 
chiste and elegant structure, the object of their labors and 
their pride, in all its beauty and perfectness, into the custody 
of its future guardians, the Mayor and Aldermen of Savan- 
nah. The presentation was made at the base of the monu- 
ment, by Dr. R. D. Arnold, Chairman of the Board of Com- 
missioners, in the presence of the Judges of the Supreme 
Court, a detachment of military under Capt. W. H. C. Mills, 
a number of other distinguished persons, and a large con- 
course of citizens. The address of Dr. Arnold was an im- 



28 

promptu effort, that duty having been previously assigned to 
Col. Wm. p. Bowen, who was taken ill in the morning, and 
found it impossible to leave his bed at the appointed hour. — 
But like other impromptu etibrts of that popular orator, was 
most happily conceived and eloquently expressed. 

*' After a short and appropriate reply by the Hon. Edw. C. 
Anderson, Mayor of the city, accepting the trust, and pledging 
himself and his associates to protect and preserve it, the Com- 
missioners with their invited guests, adjourned to the Pulaski 
House, where a sumptuous collation had been prepared. — 
Here, a few hours were spent in discussing the comestibles 
provided, and in short, happy addresses and appropriate sen- 
timents, dehveredby Dr. Arnold, the Chairman, Mr. Robert- 
son, the Treasurer, the Hon. John E. Ward, Judge Howard, 
Father O'Neill, Messrs. Alexander, Bryan, and others of 
Savannah ; and by CoL Hull, of Athens, Hon. Andrew J. 
Miller, of Augusta, and other distinguished guests, 

"A novel and most happy idea, was the collation prepared 
in the square, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, for the pupils of 
the various schools of the city. Nearly five hundred covers 
were laid, and a perfect mountain of sweetmeats, cakes, fruit 
and all those things most likely to tempt the appetite of the 
juveniles. These (ample as was the provision,) were soon 
annihilated, and the "Boys of Savannah" gathered around 
the stand to listen to the words to be addressed to them by 
Dr. Arnold. At this time Col. Bowen stood at the side of 
the orator, but was too ill to address his little friends. 

" It was a beautiful sight to see the neatly dressed scholars, 
with their white satin badges, and silk banners of various 
designs, marching with their several teachers at their head 
around the square, into the places assigned them by the 
order of the ceremonies. This was altogether a most happy 
idea, and the scene was one which will be long and fondly 
remembered in maturer years by the little participants, in the 
happiness which the Commissioners must have felt, as they 
imparted it to all who approached them on this memorable 
occasion." 



29 

REMAINS OF PULASKI. 

A few months since, a promise was given by one of the 
Journals of the city that I would place before the public a full 
statement of the facts and traditional history of the death 
and burial place of General Pulaski and the recovery of 
his remains, so soon as I could obtain such concurrent testi- 
mony as might prove satisfactory and acceptable to all who 
felt an interest in the subject. I would have complied with 
that promise ere this, but have been awaiting the arrival of 
the architect of the monument, deeming that period as pro- 
per and appropriate to the occasion. I cannot but regret, as 
many will, the accidental and unavoidable causes which 
have prevented Mr. Launitz from completing by, or before, 
this time, a work which has been looked tbrward to with so 
much interest. 

As there still exists some doubt in regard to the time when 
the structure is to be finished, I will no longer delay a publi- 
cation of the narrative which many of my friends and fellow 
citizens appear anxious to be furnished with. The task 1 
undertake, I am sensible, is of no ordinary character, for the 
reason that my narrative of die sad event and last moments 
of the gallant chief, comes in collision with written and pub- 
lished accounts, and the generally received opinion in later 
years, that his remains were consigned to a watery grave 
between this city and Charleston. 

In approaching the subject I must first remark, that iris far 
from my intention to impugn the motives or arraign the testi- 
mony of those whose statements may differ from what I have 
to present, and much less do I desire to invoke or induce a 
controversy. Yet, however unpleasant the task is, or the 
•position one may unintentionally be placed in, as in this case, 
it is not becoming to shrink from a duty due to the public, 
and I may add, to the history of the country. My principal 
purpose and object will be to narrate all the circumstances 
relative to the matter, as communicated to me by my kindred 
in very early youth and in maturer years, the truthfulness of 
whose statements is so deeply impressed upon me, that I feel 



30 

no hesitation or doubt in this interesting engagement, and 
in giving to the pubhc a detail of the reminiscence and tra- 
dition as I received them, accompanied with such testimony 
as I have collected or has been kindly furnished by others. It 
will then be for that public to estimate and decide upon the 
value and authenticity of the narative and its accompani- 
ments, and from that verdict I presume there can be no 
appeal. 

It is but proper I should iirst acquaint the reader with the lo- 
calityofthe ground and place whence thfi remains of Pulaski 
were exhumed, and succinctly as possible add such other hi- 
formation as may be of interest. From the 6th to the 9th 
September, 1779, Count D'Estaing with the allied forces on 
board the French fleet, arrived off Tybee bar, and were soon 
after anchored in Cockspur Roads — (a few vessels of the 
fleet, however, entered Ossabaw inlet, and the forces on 
board landed at Beaulieu). A short time after, the troops in 
Cbckspur Roads were placed on board transports, and with 
the smaller vessels of the fleet, leaving the Savannah river 
by Augustine Creek, efiected a landing at Greenwich and 
Boiiaventure bluffs — places distant from the city some four or 
five miles. Here they encamped, the officers taking quarters in, ■ 
the mansion at Greenwich, the property of my grandfather 
Samuel Bo wen, and then occupied by my grandmother and 
her daughter, Ann Elizabeth BowEN,agirl of fourteen years 
of'-age, and who not long afterwards married Doctor Sam- 
^[jEL Beecroft, a surgeon at that time, in the British army. 
On the conclusion of the parley with General PREvesr, and 
his refusal to surrender the town to Count D'Estaing and Gen. 
Lincoln, the American Commander, a siege and bombard- 
ment were determined on, and the French troops at Green- 
wich and the neighborhood moved towards Savannah, and 
took position at " Fair Lawn," from which place and near 
by, they commenced a sap and line of defence towards the 
town. The works having been completed, or the approaches 
deemed sufficient, the 9th of October was selected for the 
attack on the British lines, which covered the whole front of 



31 

the town from Springhill, in the direction of what is now 
Liberty Street, to the Thunderbolt Road, being flanked at 
either angle to the river, and were composed of redoubts, 
abatis and picketing. The main attack of the allied forces 
commenced at early dawn, at Springhill redoubt, from which 
the enemy poured one continuous sti'eam of grape, ball and 
musketry, repulsing the besiegers after a severe and well 
maintained contest, with tremendous loss. The results of 
that fatal day are too well recorded in history and in the mem- 
ories of those who still survive and participated in that dis- 
astrous struggle, to need any comment from me on that sad 
and melancholy picture. Nor have their descendants forgot- 
ten the oft-told tale of the scenes of carnage which an Octo- 
ber sun, after dispelling the morning mist and clouds of smoke, 
presented to the surviving heroes of that bloody battle-field. 
General Pulaski was in command of the regular cavalry 
and other mounted corps, but unable to participate in the 
fight — being in reserve for a charge as soon as a breach Xvas' 
effected on the enemy's works — he became impatient at 
witnessing the galling fire of the foe and the slaughter of 
his comrades ; his keen and penetrating eye discovered an 
opening through which he believed an entrance could be ef- 
fected, and thereby gain the enemy's rear. Communicating 
this fact and his plan of operation to General Lincoln, 
that officer immediately sanctioned the movement. At the 
iiead of a body of his brave and dashing cavalry, he led oft' 
the charge, sword in hand, but "ere the point he gained," a 
fatal grape shot pierced his groin, and in a moment he lay 
prostrate within a few yards of the enemy's battery. His 
faithful companions at once dismounted and bore him from 
the field of his glory. And here permit me to pay a passing 
but just tribute to the generous action of a magnanimous 
foe. When Pulaski fell and became surrounded by his com- 
rades, the distance was so near the lines that every man of 
the party could have been destroyed by the enemy's small 
arms — but they forebore ; they knew it was Pulaski who 
had fallen, and such was their estimation ol" thai heroic and 



intrepid officer that his comrades were allowed to bear off 
their chief without molestation. Such generous impulses do 
credit to brave hearts and gallant soldiers. 

Surgical aid was soon at hand and the fallen hero at once 
properly and kindly attended to. The roar of artillery and 
the clash of arms having been hushed, and the battle's strife 
terminated, the sad and solemn ceremonies of the burial of 
the dead, and taking care of the wounded, were next in order, 
and when completed, the allied armies took a kind and part- 
ing farewell of each other, separated, and were soon on 
march for their different posts of rendezvous. The French 
troops left the city by the same route they had approached 
it, viz : the Thunderbolt Road to Greenwich, on Augus- 
tine €reek where the transports were at anchor, and from 
which point they embarked for the fleet in Cockspur Roads. 
The American forces taking the Augusta Road, crossed the 
Savannah river above, at Zubly's Ferry. 

According to the account, as I learned it, Pulaski was, a. 
short time after the battle, placed on a litter, and taken to 
Greenwich, for the purpose of being put on board of one of 
the vessels of the fleet. Doctor Lynah, a surgeon in the 
Continental army, who was in attendance on Pulaski, 
states through his grandson, Col. James Lynah, now of Phila- 
delphia, that Pulaski made choice of going under protec- 
tion of the French fleet, rather than follow the American 
arnjy, in consequence of apprehending pursuit and capture 
by the British. They separated on the battle field, and of 
course saw no more of each other. Of the truth, then, that 
Pulaski was carried down to the place of embarkation of 
the troops, there can be no doubt, for from no other position 
could he at the time have reached the destination chosen; con- 
sequently we arrive at the fact that he was taken to Green- 
wich, and we can examine and reason upon the points at 
issue, to wit : whether he died and was buried there, or 
whether he was at once placed on board of a vessel for 
Charleston, died on his passage and met a watery grave. In 
connection with this narrative, I must remark, that from ear-, 



3:^ 

liest recollection I was in \Uv constant practice of visiting 
my relatives at (Ireenwicji, and often reniaininir witli them 
for days at a lime. The cust«nii and practice of the laniily 
vvas to walk and exercise daily, in li^iir weatlier, through 
their well kept and extensive garden-grounds and shrnhbery ; 
it was on surli occasions that passing through the reargarden 
gate, and enterinir a wide pathway leading though a vista 
overshadowed hy ornamental tbrest and fruit trees, you 
arrived at a spot called '• Pulaski's Grave. '" A majestic 
Palmetto and slossy leaved Holly in close proximity, 
marked that hallowed irround. The woodbine and jessamine 
with other tendrils, bloomed in wild |)rofusion over the small 
growth which had heei> allowed to remain and rendered that 
freshness and stillness so appropriate and in keeping wit4i 
the solitude of a country burial place. It was indeed a fit 
and proper resting place lor a soldier, and so was it ever 
regarded: for seldom did youth or age pass it by, without an 
expressive tribute of reirret for the untimely fate of the hon- 
ored a'lid cliivalric dead, li was here, that i. with other 
youthful khidred, were lirst taught by our scinors to jno- 
nonnce Pulaski's name, and learned from them in alter years 
the heroic deeds of that distinguished warrior chief 

Mrs. Beecroft, to whom allusion has previously been 
made, witnessed with her mother, the arrival at Greenwich, 
during the day of the battle, of a litter containing a wounded 
man. He was taken into their mansion and placed in a 
room adjoining the one they occupied. They were soon 
after informed that it was Count Pulaski. All aid and as- 
sistance in their power were immediately rendered. In this 
connection I will state, that the gallant Count D'Estaing, 
who led the charge on the Springbill redoubt, and received 
a severe wound in the early part of the action, was also taken 
to Greenwich, and became an inmate of the mansion with 
others of his brother oliicers. He received, in person, every ■ 
attention in the power of those kind ladies, and was attend- 
ed to for some days, until he was enabled to .join the 
fleet. I allude to this circumstance here, that in case 
5 



;u 

this docuiiieiil should ever meet tlie eye of any of his imme- 
diate family, they may be induced to search in his diary or 
memoranda, for some mention or trace of this fact, which may 
lead to a further confirmation of tliis tradition and rivet still 
closer the chain of my narrative. 

Pulaski is represented to have sutiered much from his 
bleeding wound, and languished but a few hours when 
were heard the faint expiring struggles, mingled with the 
lamentations of the surrounding friends of that devoted, gal- 
lant, and patriotic soldier — " Pulaski, the beloved Pulaski, 
is no more !" This sad event occurred at night, and his com- 
rades, anxious to join their companions of the fleet, deter- 
mined on an immediate burial. Every necessary that could, 
for this hurried occasion, be prepared, was administered by the 
servants of the plantation, and ere morning's dawn, was 
seen by torchlight that solemn pageant, moving over the ter- 
raced way and through the garden walk, onward to the spot 
already described, and from whence his remains have recently 
been exhumed. 

Such was the sum and substance of that interesting event 
as communicated to me by my relative, an eye witness of the 
scene. Often have I heard her repeat the story to others, and 
never can I forget the incidents of that occasion as t'urnishe(;l 
to me by the faithful domestics of that ancient household. So 
far were they satisfied that Pulaski reposed beneath the soil 
of their home, that fancy wrought upon their imaginations 
the belief, that on the periodical return of the burial night 
was to be heard the shrill blast of the bugle note, mingled 
with the tramp and charge of dashing horsemen. 

Other circumstances, in corroboration of tlie foregoing 
"statement, I deem proper to relate. A short time after the 
disastrous 9th of October, the junior members of the Green- 
wich family, who were in the city at the time of the siege, 
under the protection of friends and relatives, returned to their 
home. They wete informed of the events which had trans- 
pired during their absence, and among thdinost interesting was 
the death and burial of Pulaski, whose grave they visited, 



35 

From one ot' thoso members, tlu' sister ol' Mrs. Bekcrok-i', 
I have oftei) lieard a repetition of tli<' j)reee(liii2: story. — 
Amoiiii- tli(,' visitors at Ihnt tinu-. and inmates ol' t!ie I'amily, 
was my near relative, the late Dr. \Vm. Pakkkk. He 
also, llirouL;h life, helieved in its truth. 1 have tV<!(|uentl y 
heard him speak of and allude to it in eonversatiou with 
others, and there are irentlemen in this eity who can eon- 
iirm this fact. 

1 have otten heard the (piestion asked, why was the eir- 
cumstanee ol' tlie hurial at (rretniwieh not more i)ul)Ucly or 
i^eneraily known ? and why was a se-areh not made Tor the re- 
mains ere this :- To the tirst. 1 reply, that as tar as my remem- 
hrance carries me l)a.ek, I sujiposed it was ijeneraUy known 
and hoHeved, at k'ast nmonir the older members of this com- 
umiiity, tor I have never heard it t[uestioiied until in latter 
years. Oftentimes in mv youth, do I recollect to have seen 
groups of visitors from the' city to that hospitahle mansion, 
wending their way throusii the irarden. culliui^ tlowers, and 
in their walks eliisterinu: around the •' (irave of Pulaski." 
They never (piestioned the truth of the story. 

To th(^ second (|ue)y, 1 simply ask what could have been the 
ohject of a seareli or examination at any time previous to the 
present period? No public authority or institution in this 
State or elsewhere, ever ado|)ted a plan or e.vpressed a desire 
to recover those remains for the purpose of placing tl)em in 
a more public j)osition. and erectins a monument over them. 
The relatives ol' the deceased have never souijht after tliem. 
Then, who was to undertake the task? and lor what purpose? 
Simply to gratifv curiosity? The ashes of the dead should 
ever be regarded as sacred, and ouii'ht not to he disturbed 
for lieht or idle purposes; and I hold in too Imrh •■steem and 
veneration the j)roprietors of that honored soil, to believe 
that they would ever baveeonsenled to any disturbanc(Mmless 
for such i)urposes as 1 have alluded to. Fretpient proposals 
have been made to me in years past, to search for the remains. 
I have always opposed it. until the time should arrive when a 
monuuKMit would be ereetcMl m thiseitvto his memor\'. That 



3« 

time, 1 feel rejoiced to say, has arrived, and hence the under- 
taking a short time since, with the sanction and wish of iny 
associates of the Monument Commissioners. In anticipation 
that the structure designed to adorn our city, would be com- 
pleted in January or February last, I employed in the 
month of December, competent aid and repaired to Green- 
wich, and commenced the w^ork of clearing the old pathway 
to the place I have already described ; but what a change 
time had wrought in that once lovely spot ! Where were 
those lofty evergreens that used to ornament it, and were wont 
to guide Memory in her visit to the liero's grave ? Some 
ruthless hand, in wantonness or for trivial gain, had felled 
that stateh'' Palmetto; but there lay its majestic trunk, bid- 
ding defiance, as it were, to the crumbling influences of 
winter's blasts or summer's sun, as if still destined to 
mark the object for which it was chosen. The woodman's 
axe had not even spared its lovely companion •, but more te- 
nacious of vitality, the parent stock had replenished from its 
fruitful source, some goodly scions, bright now in their 
existence, and under the fostering care of its tender 
patron, preserved iji freshness and verdure. Stich alterations 
had occurred in that old and once familiar place, that I expe- 
rienced some trouble in the begimiing of the work to ascertain 
the precise location of the "old pathway." When that was 
accomplished my efforts were soon crowned with success, 
and the remains found, a few teet from where I commenced 
excavating. The hands employed at the work were inform- 
edthat the burial took place at night, and by torchlight: they 
had progressed but a short depth Avhen they discovered in- 
dications of the fact. Charcoal, evidently from the burning 
torches used on the occasion, was found distributed throtigh- - 
out the entire covering, and in a [e\v moments afterwards 
were exposed to view all that remained of the lamented 
Pulaski. 

It has been remarked (touching the subject of a search for 
the remains) that, if found, some article, such as a sword, 
uniform buttons, breastplate, or other insignia of rank would 



be discovered, by which tliey could be more readily identi- 
fied. I liad no such bcHel'or hope. Pilaski was v/ounded 
mortally on the field of battle. His surgeon, to render him 
comfortable and properly examine his wounds, would, at 
once cause him to be disrobed of all portions of his dress 
which Avere cumbersome and unnecessary. It is not reason- 
able, then, to suppose that after death, his miiform or any of 
his accoutrements would have been placed upon him — rather 
would his friends and brother officers liave preserved those 
relics of their honored chief, and become possessed of the 
mementoes of one so brave, so beloved, so lamented. 

The Charleston account of the funeral rites which were 
performed in that city, states, that the horse which Pulaski 
rode on the day of the battle, was properly caparisoned, and 
bore the accoutrements and dress which he had worn on that 
occasion. History relates ol Pulaski that he was •• a devout 
Roman Catholic.'"' The usual custom and practice, I believe, 
with those of that creed is, to consign with the dead ''tln^ holy 
cross," that precious and inestimable symbol of their faith. — 
Such did I hope to lind, and believe I have done so ; for, 
among the decomposing relics of that patriot and christain 
soldier, were discovered metallic and wooden substances 
united, apparently highly wrought, but so corroded that it is 
difficult to decide or assign positively their original forms ; 
but enough ol" them remain to lead to the belief that they 
composed ;i sword or dagger hilt, or :i cross of metal and 
wood. 

Soon alter the discovery, I repaired to i]io city and invited 
Drs. Bulloch and Read to accompany me to the grave and 
examine the remains; they politely consented, and did so, 
after which, at their suggestion, they were brought in and 
deposited in the Medical College, for further examination. I 
append the report of those gentlemen to which the reader is 
referred. 

I propose now (o offer a few conmients on this snoject, and^ 
particularly on the report of Pulaski's burial at sea. It has 
been previously remarked, and I think it will readily be ad- 



38 

niitted, that the tact has been arrived at tliat he was taken 
to '■'■Greenwich^'* the point oi emharkation of the French 
troops. Is it, then, within the range of reason to beUeve or 
suppose for a moment, that a wounded man, carried on a 
litter five miles in hot weather, suffering severely and ex- 
hausted trom loss of blood, should be taken past a com- 
fortable mansioi], that mansion occupied by brodier officers, 
where he could receive aid and succor, have his wants 
administered to, and liis sufferings, in a measure alleviated by 
kind females — that instead, he should be first thrust on board of 
a small boat, rowed to a vessel in the river, hoisted in, and 
stowed away in a confined cabin? The most vivid imagi- 
nation cannot conceive such an idea. 

Again : what object, may I not ask, could those oflicers in 
the mansion, and the attendants on Pulaski, who were under 
that roof partaking of the hospitalities and aid of those ladies, 
have had to use any deception as to die true character of the 
wounded man brought into their house ? he to whom, with the 
willingness belonging to woman's nature, was given not only 
a welcome, but a ready tender of their services? It cannot be 
believed that those gallant men, just from the battle field, pos- 
sessed of all those noble and honorable ([ualities which adorn 
the soldier and the gendeman, would practice a deception, 
under such circumstances, upon innocent women, who were 
dispensing kindness and comfort to them and their suffering 
companions. In regard, then, to the rumor and published 
report, that Pulaski died at sea on his passage to Charleston, 
andw^asthrown overboard, Heave them to the credulity of those 
who desire to believe them ; I cannot be reconciled to an act so 
repugnant to man's nature at any time, and less reconciled to the 
unbecoming manner of its performance under the circumstan- 
cesas stated in this instance. Let us inquire the distance from 
the outlet of Savannah river to Charleston, or the time required 
ta accomplish the voyage. In a sailing vessel, with a moderate 
fair wind, it is done in some ten or twelve hours. We are to 
presume, of course, that the vessel reported to have had Pu- 
laski on boafd put to sea with a fair wind, for it is stated in 



39 

the record that she luul Ijccii delaiuecl iii iIk' rivor l)y liead 
winds. Now, it is well known, that on the outside passage to 
Charleston, yon are in sight r.f land all the way. ;iiidin reach ing- 
distance ol" several inlets in three or tour liours. \\liat is, 
and has been the nniversal ])ractice ot" maritime men when 
a death occurs on board ship? If' near land, of course, to 
give the deceased a burial on shore, and not to cast tlie 
body into the sea. I appeal to any ship master or connnan- 
der for a confirmation of this statement. Is ii any stretch of 
imagination, then, to believe that if the remains ol' such 
a man as the beloved and honored Pulaski were on board a 
vessel going to Charleston, the comrnaiKler of that vessel 
would not have used every effort for their [»res(Tvation and 
keeping for a few hours, and if this was deemed impossible, 
which very few will agree to, then, that he should have neared 
the shore and committed the body to its kindred earth? Who 
will say or believe to the contrary ? Well and ap])ropriately 
does Col. Lynah remark, in a note to me in March last, that 
"the soil of Georgia should cover the remains ol' Pui-aski, 
for he was a son of earth and not of ocean. '>iore akin to 
Mars than to Neptune." 

I have recently read the diary and report of (ien. Pkk\()st. 
the British Commander, to Lord tiermain. giving a full and 
particular accomit not only of the battle of the 9th October, 
but of all the transactions and operations prior toandafter it, 
from the 4th of September to the 18th October. I have also 
seen the French report or summary of their operations and 
repulse at Savannah, published in the Paris Gazette, of .Janu- 
ary, 1780. Neither of these accounts report Pulaski as 
having died at sea and his body committed to the deep. In 
General Prevost's Report of the battle, he states, "among 
the woimded were the Count D'Estaing, in two places, 
M, UeFontanges, CouiU Pulaski, (since dead.) and several 
others of distinction," 

Now observe, the battle took place on the yth October, the 
report of General Prevost to his government embraced a 
period of some days, and I must remark it is as concise as 



40 

any document of the kind well can be. I was strnck by its 
concurrence with the historical accounts I had found in va- 
rious authorities. The ptibHshed account of the "sea burial'' 
states that the vessel on board of which Pulaski was placed, 
remained in the Savannah River some days, and after she 
got out of the river (at sea) " Pulaski breathed his last, and 
his remains were consigned to a watery grave." Can it be 
supposed then, that General Prevost could have heard from 
Charleston, of the death and burial of Pulaski at sea, in 
time to have embraced the account of it in his report of the 
battle and other matters to his Government ? particularly 
when tlie published account states that the vessel remained 
in the river some days, and that Pulaski died after the ves- 
sel left the river} Which of these accounts or "reports, may 
I not ask the reader, bears the stamp of authenticity ? 

In General Lincoln's letter to Congress, and his report ot 
the battle at Savannah, dated 22d October, '7.9, he says : "Onr 
disappointment is great, and what adds to the poignancy of 
our grief is the loss of brave officers and men, among them 
the late intrepid Count Pulaski." 

'^Is it possible to believe that a General Officer, writing the 
account to his Government of a disastrous battle, and noticing 
particularly the loss of so distinguished an officer as Pulaski, 
would not have remarked [if true) tliat he died of his 
wounds on his passage to Charleston, and that his remains 
were committed to the deep ? 

Lieut. Col. C. E. Bedaulx, commanding the remnant of 
"Pulaski's Legion," writing to the President of Congress 
about the same time, says, ''1 am sorry to inform your Ex- 
cellency and the honorable Congress, oi the death of Briga- 
dier General Count Pulaski, who died of the wound he re- 
ceived in the last engagement against Savannah," But not 
one word is mentioned in either letter about the '■^sea burial!''' 
In a recent correspondence with a very intelligent Polish 
gentleman, a relative of Pulaski's family, now residing in 

Washington city, he remarks : "I cannot agree in the assertion 
that Pulaski, was buried at sea, because it is such a singular 



41 

case fo?' a Po/c, and one of such rauls., that it would have 
been known to Ragowski and others of liis cotemporaries 
and colleagues." ******* 

"The most authentic and credible memoirs of Pulaski 
that the Poles have, are those of Ragowski. I had an oppor- 
tunity to confer on the subject with the i)td:)lisher of those 
memoirs, and I learned from him that Ragowski, whom he 
knewpersonally, and with whom hespent many days and eve- 
nings never spoke of such an extraordinary burial for a Pole. 
In a subsequent letter he remarks: "If a burial at sea of 
such a man as Pulaski had occurred, the tradition would 
have been preserved in Poland." 

With the foregoing remarks, I will now close my account 
of this interesting subject, referring the reader to the aimexed 
statements as concurrent testimony of what I have adduced. 
At the same time, trusting that I may not be considered too 
prolix, I have endeavored to condense the matter, as well as 
to render it acceptable to all who feel an interest in the sub- 
ject. 

In conclusion, I embrace the opportunity, and through this 
medium beg leave to offer to the present proprietor of that old 
and cherished abode of my forefathers, the expression of my 
sincere thanks for the readiness with which my application 
for the search was granted. She will be pleased to accept 
of my best wishes for her enjoyment of health at the " old 
homestead." 

To Mr. Edward Gilbert, who resided on the premises at 
the time, and who rendered me essential aid and assistance, 
I tender my thanks for his many kind attentions. 

WM. P. BOWEN, Sen'r. 



REMAINS OF PULASKI. 

The following are the letters referred to in the preceding 
narrative : 
Col. Wm. p. Bo wen : 

Dear Sir : — In compliance with your request, we examined 
the skeleton of the remains discovered and exhumed by 
6 



42 

you, at Greenwich, and found them to bo in a good state 
of preservation, ahhough the bones were very much denuded 
of their animal matter. 

The skeleton was complete, with the exception of some 
few of the small bones of the hands and feet, so that we were 
enabled to arrive at the following result, though meagre, 
which we nevertheless willingly offer you : 

1st. That the bones discovered had formed the skeleton of 
a MAN of medium size. 

2d. That the individual must have been in the prime of 
life, for the whole set of teeth, including the wisdom-teeth, 
were entire and sound in their sockets. 

3d. The form of the skull indicated that the individual had 
belonged to the Caucasian race, the facial angle measuring 85 
degrees, which is above the mean as given by Camper and 
Morton, to wit : 80 degrees. 

4th. The skull was remarkable for the great width be- 
tween the eyes at the root of the nose, and the breadth of 
the face as measured across the cheek bones. 

Comparing the form of the entire head, that is the shape 
of the skull and face combined, whh the lithographed head 
of Pulaski, which you exhibited to us, there is, we think. 
a striking resemblance of outline. 

Respectful Iv Yours. 

WM. G. BULLOCH, M. 1). 

JAS. B. READ, M. D. 



GEORGIA, I 

Chatham County, j March 1S54. 

In compliance with the request of Col. Wm. P. Bowen, 
that I would furnish him with my recollections, and such in- 
formation as I possessed relative to the death and burial place 
of Count Pulaski, I hereby state, that in the year 1814, I 
lived at Greenwich in the capacity of overseer and manager 
of Mrs. Beecroft's property-. Mrs. Beecroft frequently 
pointed out the spot where human remains have recently 
been exhumed, under the superinteudance of Col. Bowen, as 
the place where Count Pulaski was buried. Mrs. Beecroft 
told niM that after the siege of Savannah, Pulaski was 
brought wounded to her house, and died there ; that the 
French troops embarked at Greenwich after the siege. She 
never spoke of the fact of his death and burial place as at 
all doubtful, but always positively. It was her cusloin to 



43 

keep the walk Irom the garden to the grave, clear and in 
order, and she informed me that this had always been her 
practice, and desired me to see that it was rcgnlarly attended to. 
The grave was in the orchard and shrubbery, near a large 
Palmetto tree, a few feet from the path, and about two hun- 
dred yards from the house. The orchard is removed at least 
a quarter of a mile from the burial place of the plantation ; I 
never heard of any other person being buried in the orchard. 
The family servants of Mrs. Beecroft, (very intelligent 
negroes,) who had formed part of her household at the time 
of the siege of Savannah, frequently made the same state- 
ments. The miiversal testimony of all who were there, 
concurred in stating that Pulaski had died in the house, and 
was buried in tiie orchard. These statements were made by 
all in the course of ordinary conversation, and not in conse- 
quence of any questions to them, or from having their minds 
particularly directed to the subject by any inquiries or searches. 
It seemed to be considered by all a received truth, of which there 
was no doubt. During the whole time I resided at Greenwich, 
the ceremony of clearing the path down to Pulaski's Grave, 
was an ordinary duty, as much so as placing and keeping all 
the premises in order. Mrs. Beecroft stated to me that she 
was about fourteen years of age when the event of Pulaski's 
death and burial occurred. 

JACOB LEWIS. 



SAVANNAH, April, 185 J. 
I hereby state that I am personally acquainted with Mr. 
Jacob Lewis, the author of the above statement. Mr. Lewis 
was in my employment at my place near Greenwich at the 
time search was being made for the remains of Pulaski. — 
I inquired of him if he had ever heard of the burial of Pu- 
laski at Greenwich, to which he replied that he had, and could 
point out the spot, as shown him by Mrs. Beecroft, when 
he was in her employment many years ago. Mr. Lewis com- 
municated to me in substance the statement he has subscribed 
to. 

WILLIAM E. LON(;. 



SAVANNAH, March. Ks5t. 
Col. Wm. p. Howen : 

Dear Sir: — Understanding that you have devoted much of 
your time in endeavoring to ascertain the resting place or grave 



llwSl °^ CONGRESS 

Mil 



44 014 496 916 9 % 

of the illustrious Count Pulaski, and that your praiseworthy 
and untiring efforts have been directed to ascertain the cor- 
rectness of the traditions handed down to you by your an- 
cestors, I take leave to state to you that I have heard it stated 
by my father, who was at the siege of Savannah, and one of 
the guides of the French army under Count D'Estaing, that 
the distinguished Pole, before mentioned, was mortally 
wounded at the said siege, that he was carried some four 
miles from Savannah, and languishing for a very short time, 
died, and was buried on Georgia soil, at night. 
Very respectfully, your friend, 

MORDECAI SHEFTALL, Sen'r. 



SAVANNAH, 12th March, 1854. 
Col. Wm. p. Bowen: 

Dear Sir : — In answer to your note of yesterday, request- 
ing to be furnished with my recollections touching a circum- 
stance connected with the memory of Pulaski, I can only 
state that about the end of the year J803 a number of officers 
of the Polish Legion, in the service of France, landed in 
Charleston, having recently, at St. Domingo, capitulated under 
Gen. Rochambeau to the English fleet. 

My father, being a Pole by birth, welcomed and entertained 
many of them. Among the number was Capt. Bagaslauski 
who claimed to be, and was recognized among these gentle- 
men as, the nephew of Count Pulaski. I remember him 
very well, and we became intimate, as far as a boy of fourteen 
or fifteen could be with a man past the meridian of life. After 
some time he took leave of us for the purpose, as he said, 
of visiting the grave of his uncle. He returned to Charles- 
ton, and mentioned that he had accomplished the object of 
his visit. 

It is proper to add that we conversed in French, a language 
foreign to both. 

I am, very respectfully, 

J. C. LEVY. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 

niiiii 

014 496 916 9 ^ 



